George Seton (bef. 1680 - 1749)

Born before 6 Mar 1680 in Tranent, Haddingtonshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 19 Dec 1749 after age 69 in Rome, Lazio, Italy

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George Seton was a member of Scottish Nobility. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

George Seton is a member of Clan Seton.

George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton was born before 6 Mar 1679/80, the son of George Seton, 4th Earl of Winton and Christian Hepburn.^[1]

His illegitimate birth was legitimised under Scottish law by his parent's subsequent marriage.^[1]

He succeeded to the title of 10th Lord Seton and to the title of 5th Earl of Winton on 6 March 1704.^[1]

Although a Protestant joined the 1715 First Jacobite Rising, he fought in the Battle of Preston on 13 November 1715, where he was captured.^[1] On 19 March 1716 he was convicted of high treason and condemned to death, with his titles forfeit. After feigning madness, he obtained a reprieve.^[1] On 4 August 1716 he escaped from the Tower of London and fled to join the Jacobite titular King James III at Avignon, he later moved to Rome .^[1]

He was Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge between 1736 and 1739 at Rome, Italy.^[1]

He died on 19 December 1749 in Rome, Italy, unmarried.^[1]

From the time of his Lordship's death the honours of the illustrious house of Seton remained dormant until 1840, when Archibald William, 13th Earl of Eglinton, the male representative of this noble family, was served heir male-general of 4th Earl of Winton.^[2]

Evidence provided by Sir Bruce Gordon Seton, BT., C. B confirms that George the 5th Earl of Winton had a son called Charles; this was evident in correspondences the Earl made while imprisoned in the Tower of London. "The claimant may certainly have been son of the Earl by Margaret McKlear, as the correspondence referred to above in regard to the Earl's confinement in the Tower mentions a son Charles; but he was a natural son." ^[3]

Correspondences between Charles Seton, b. 1711 and his maternal aunt Magdalon McKlear (wife of Nicoll Corsbie) were passed down to the Seton - Hancock family; copies can be found in the book Seton: Earls of Winton. These personal letters confirm Charles' father as George Seton 5th Earl of Winton and offer insight into his relationship with his late mother's sister via letters written between 1733 - 1750. A letter written by Magdalon, dated 23 July 1744, sadly confirms that her daughter died two years earlier (1742). Her daughter was called Christian Corsbie, b. 20 Nov 1700, Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. ^{[4] [5]}

A study called 'The Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project: context, results and genetic genealogy methodologies' investigated the atDNA and yDNA connections between participants with well documented family trees to many of the 48 signatories of the Declaration of Arbroath. The study confirmed Philip Stead's (a post-graduate student at the University of Strathclyde) well documented pedigree to George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton through the atDNA matching segments his mother, her siblings and two cousins had with a number of Seton/Seaton participants. These Seaton/Seton participants shared yDNA SNP markers with several well documented Gordon participants (descended from Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Gordon (c. 1410-1470) and also a participant directly descended from Alexander Seton, 1588-1661 who changed his surname to Montgomerie to inherit his maternal grandfather’s titles, estate and fortune. This DNA evidence was concluded to have a high degree of reliability; therefore confirming that Charles Seton, b 1711 in Bellingham was the son of George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Mosely, C., (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, (107th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 1280). Wilmington, DE: Genealogical Books Ltd.
2. ↑ Entered by Rhian Geleick.
3. ↑ Seton, B. G. (1939) The House of Seton - A study of lost causes. Edinburgh. Lindsey and Macleod. https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn23/9544/95446570.23.pdf : accessed 20 May 2021.
4. ↑ Hancock, K. & Peck, J. L. N. (2015) Seton: Earls of Winton. Lamp Post Incorporated. p. 50-54.
5. ↑ Births record (OPR) Scotland. Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland. 20 Nov 1700. CORSBIE, Christian. FHL Film Number 1067855. Reference ID. 2:15STR59. https://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 20 May 2021.
6. ↑ Holton, G. S. & MacDonald, A. F. (2021) The Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project: context, results and genetic genealogy methodologies. 13. p. 56-78. FMG. https://fmg.ac/publications/journal/vol-13/682-fnd-13-10 : accessed 29 May 2021.
7. ↑ University of Strathclyde. (2020) Declaration of Arbroath descendants traced to Strathclyde. https://www.strath.ac.uk/whystrathclyde/news/declarationofarbroathdescendantstracedtostrathclyde/ : accessed 29 May 2021.
8. ↑ History Scotland. (2020) Descent of Declaration of Arbroath signatories confirmed by new research. https://www.historyscotland.com/history/descent-of-declaration-of-arbroath-signatories-confirmed-by-new-resear/ : accessed 29 May 2021.
9. ↑ Sabljak, E. (2020) Glasgow Evening Times. Declaration of Arbroath descendants found at Strathclyde University. https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18640007.declaration-arbroath-descendants-found-strathclyde-university/ : accessed 29 May 2021.
10. ↑ The Herald. (2020) University Staff in link to Arbroath signings. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald-1130/20200811/281809991250109 : accessed 29 May 2021.
11. ↑ Holton, G. S. MacDonald, A. F. (2020) Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project: Report. Strathclyde. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. p. 72.